Post by unplugged on Nov 9, 2006 14:30:28 GMT
Editors - Bristol Carling Academy
“IS there anyone in from Stroud?”
Tom Smith asks the question and I feel compelled to raise my arms and proclaim my residency.
And although embarrassing - I notice no other ‘Stroudies’ willing to state their roots - my actions are the result of pure excitement, shared with 1,600 others crammed into Bristol’s Carling Academy.
The crowd shows just what a momentous 12 months Editors have had.
After releasing their debut single in January last year, their march to rock stardom continued after their debut long-player ‘The Back Room’ went platinum.
And 2006 has seen the band go from strength to strength with single Munich breaking into the top ten.
It is no surprise that tickets to their headlining tour of the UK have sold out.
The atmosphere is infectious as music devotees strain to get the best possible view of the band. They seem to know they could be watching them from afar in a large stadium very soon.
From the offset 24-year-old Smith – a former Archway pupil who grew up in Woodchester – is the star of the show.
Achingly cool in white shirt with closely-cropped hair, he is symbolic of the trend-setting persona the band has attained.
They storm through album-opener Lights with aplomb and hardly take a breath as the numbers fly by.
Guitarist Chris Urbanowicz’s electronica-style leads shine through on Blood and drummer Ed Lay, alongside unmovable bassist Russell Leetch, is the driving force behind Smith throughout.
But it is in the band’s more subtle moments that the quality of songwriting shines through.
The earnest Fall is a highlight, with Smith holding the audience in the palm of his hand throughout the sparse and moving anthem.
Yet after raucous renditions of favourites Munich and Bullets, it suddenly occurs that – with only one album – the band doesn’t have much to play.Smith is constantly varying melodies and encouraging the crowd to sing for him, and you sense he’s growing weary of performing his songs after over 12 months of punishing touring.
But after singling out his parents – who still teach at Archway – in the crowd, one thing seems certain; it won’t be long before Smith is poking his head around the door of national stardom and asking if he is the only person in from Stroud.
“IS there anyone in from Stroud?”
Tom Smith asks the question and I feel compelled to raise my arms and proclaim my residency.
And although embarrassing - I notice no other ‘Stroudies’ willing to state their roots - my actions are the result of pure excitement, shared with 1,600 others crammed into Bristol’s Carling Academy.
The crowd shows just what a momentous 12 months Editors have had.
After releasing their debut single in January last year, their march to rock stardom continued after their debut long-player ‘The Back Room’ went platinum.
And 2006 has seen the band go from strength to strength with single Munich breaking into the top ten.
It is no surprise that tickets to their headlining tour of the UK have sold out.
The atmosphere is infectious as music devotees strain to get the best possible view of the band. They seem to know they could be watching them from afar in a large stadium very soon.
From the offset 24-year-old Smith – a former Archway pupil who grew up in Woodchester – is the star of the show.
Achingly cool in white shirt with closely-cropped hair, he is symbolic of the trend-setting persona the band has attained.
They storm through album-opener Lights with aplomb and hardly take a breath as the numbers fly by.
Guitarist Chris Urbanowicz’s electronica-style leads shine through on Blood and drummer Ed Lay, alongside unmovable bassist Russell Leetch, is the driving force behind Smith throughout.
But it is in the band’s more subtle moments that the quality of songwriting shines through.
The earnest Fall is a highlight, with Smith holding the audience in the palm of his hand throughout the sparse and moving anthem.
Yet after raucous renditions of favourites Munich and Bullets, it suddenly occurs that – with only one album – the band doesn’t have much to play.Smith is constantly varying melodies and encouraging the crowd to sing for him, and you sense he’s growing weary of performing his songs after over 12 months of punishing touring.
But after singling out his parents – who still teach at Archway – in the crowd, one thing seems certain; it won’t be long before Smith is poking his head around the door of national stardom and asking if he is the only person in from Stroud.